Michael Besson has witnessed the Boston Marathon from his couch for decades. Ever since he moved to Boston from his home country of Haiti in 1985, the race was something he dreamed of completing one day.

But there were a few road blocks. In addition to being visually impaired since birth by congenital cataracts and microphthalmia—a condition that causes abnormally small eyeballs—Besson was also over 500 pounds, the result of a lack of exercise and years of consuming greasy and salty foods. At his highest weight, he wore a size 54 pants.

The music teacher’s first wakeup call came in 1992. His doctor was blunt: Besson’s blood pressure was dangerously high, and if he didn’t lose weight, his heart would give out.

In response, Besson changed his diet. He cut out junk food and unhealthy oils, and consumed healthy fats instead. He also so started walking on the treadmill for exercise.

Walking eventually turned into running, and by sticking with that routine, he lost 200 pounds over the course of four years

“I was just big. My family always gave me a lot of food,” Besson said. “Changing my lifestyle made it a possibility for me to run, because for a long time I couldn’t.”

[Discover how to run 10, 50, or even 100 pounds off with Run to Lose.]

For the next two decades, Besson’s weight hovered around 300 pounds. Then, in 2017, he received more bad news from his doctor: His blood pressure was still running high.

His wife, Nalida, had a similar problem, so together, they decided to buckle down and make more healthy changes in their lives.

That started with a mostly plant-based diet. They also upped their walking and running routine. They increased distances as time went on, starting with a few laps around the yard or a mile on the treadmill.

In time, Besson dropped to 180 pounds, where he remains today.

“I feel good,” Besson told Runner’s World. “I feel young now, because I have more energy at my age than I did when I was young.”

People, Pink, Tree, Outerwear, Fun, Jacket, Recreation, Event, Smile,
Michael Besson
Michael Besson and Theresa Funk, his guide who crossed the finish line with him in Boston.

During Besson’s past two years of serious running, he has done a mix of runs on the treadmill and outside. He needs a guide when he runs outside, so he sometimes has to opt for his treadmill or back-and-forth laps in his small backyard, using a metronome to track his pace.

Regardless of how he gets in his miles, he makes sure to do so. Now, he is not only running for his health, but for his children, too.

All of Besson’s three children were born with the same visual impairment that he has. His youngest daughter is also autistic, so she didn’t have many opportunities for weekend activities early on. That’s when the family found The Play Brigade, an organization that creates equal opportunities for all children to participate in sports and other activities.

Water, Sky, Recreation, Jogging, River, Running, Vacation, Cloud, Tourism, Lake,
Michael Besson

Through those connections, Besson started running with the organization’s founder, Dawn Oates, who connected him with guides that made it possible to participate in local races. Before that, he never thought about running any race, especially not Boston, but now Besson uses his love of running to fundraise for the organization.

He started with 5KSsomething he didn’t even think was possible when he started running on the treadmilland even progressed to half marathons. But this year, running with the Play Brigade, he was able to take on the race he has watched on his couch for more than three decades: On Marathon Monday, he took on Boston with the help of running guides, finishing in 5:50:58.

“I’m excited [to run Boston]. When I train, any negativity in my mind goes away,” Besson said. “Knowing what they stand for, running with [The Play Brigade Team] means a lot.”

Headshot of Jordan Smith
Jordan Smith
Digital Editor
Jordan Smith is a writer and editor with over 5 years of experience reporting on health and fitness news and trends. She is a published author, studying for her personal trainer certification, and over the past year became an unintentional Coronavirus expert. She has previously worked at Health, Inc., and 605 Magazine and was the editor-in-chief of her collegiate newspaper. Her love of all things outdoors came from growing up in the Black Hills of South Dakota.